History VideoGame / Shifter

In addition, the mod introduces new effects and gameplay options for seasoned players. Flares will now work properly (and stay lit) underwater, firing a weapon into water produces splash effects, certain NPC's can now be "given" weapons by the player for assistance and a new "points" system is integrated which rewards players for certain feats (headshots, [[PacifistRun pacifism]], [[StealthRun stealthing through a map]], etc).

* ArtificialBrilliance: Not only is the AI upgraded substantially to react more effectively to combat situations, but some friendly NPCs can be given weapons and will fight alongside the player as well.

* BadassBystander: A fix to the game code allows NPCs to pick up weapons that are lying on the ground. This can lead to situations where random citizens will pick up guns to defend themselves from enemies (or the player).

* HarderThanHard: "Unrealistic Mode", which kicks the difficulty up to an absurd level. All NPC's (enemies or friends alike) now fire explosive rounds, animals and robots get access to better weapons (even Greasels) and the AIs' behaviour is ''much'' smarter.

* ImprovisedWeapon: It's now possible to knock out NPCs by throwing vases, chairs or any piece of furniture/decoration at them enough times.

* FakeBalance: The unique weapons are ''supposed'' to be balanced by the fact that they can only be found in one or two places in the game, but in practice, even finding one of them is enough to trivialize most enemy encounters. The Railgun and Jackhammer in particular are easy to find (the former is located in the arms dealer's apartment in Paris, and the latter is beside the security robot when you enter Smuggler's hideout for the third time), and can break the challenge curve because they're far more powerful than anything else.

The mod was originally intended to fix lingering bugs and issues in the game, but grew to encompass a wide assortment of material, including the restoration of several unused items, textures and conversations (like Ford Schick's intended appearances after he's rescued from the [=MJ12=] sewer base in Hell's Kitchen), as well as new unique weapons to try out.

* ArtificialBrilliance: Not only is the AI upgraded substantially to react more effectively to combat situations, but some friendly NPC's can be given weapons and will fight alongside the player as well.

* AwesomeButImpractical: The Jackhammer is a modified assault shotgun (found in Smuggler's hideout on the third trip to Hell's Kitchen) which can decimate enemy forces with its highly-upgraded fire rate (which is capable of burning through an entire clip in ''less than a second''). While it's perfect for decimating large groups of enemies, it's far too easy to run out of ammo or expend the entire clip while firing a single shot, greatly reducing its status as a viable weapon.
* BadassBystander: A fix to the gamecode allows NPC's to pick up weapons that are lying on the ground. This can lead to situations where random citizens will pick up guns to defend themselves from enemies (or the player).

** Due to the randomized inventories of fallen enemies, it's possible to get items and weapons that are way better than what you'd normally find. It's possible to get a sword or sawed-off shotgun on Liberty Island, as well as random weapon mods or augmentation upgrade canisters, making things much easier over time.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: A restored cell-phone message in Paul's apartment on the first visit to Hell's Kitchen reveals that he was going to meet an important contact at the subway station, thus hinting at his [[spoiler:loyalty to the NSF]].
* HarderThanHard: "Unrealistic Mode", which kicks the difficulty up to an absurd level. All NPC's (enemies or friends alike) now fire explosive rounds, animals and robots get access to better weapons (even Greasels) and the AI behavior is ''much'' smarter.
* HeKnowsTooMuch: A restored VOIP conversation (which can be accessed in the Airfield level) has Tracer Tong and Lebedev arguing over whether to bring JC into the conspiracy, with the former claiming that the agent has to be killed because of his allegiances and abilities.

* ImprovisedWeapon: It's now possible to knock out NPC's by throwing vases, chairs or any piece of furniture/decoration at them enough times.
* InformedAbility: Averted with Walton Simmons; Shifter implements his Agressive Defense System which is listed as one of his augmentations but which he never used in the original game.
* ItMayHelpYouOnYourQuest: Played with. Ford Schick had an augmentation upgrade canister in his possession when he escaped the [=MJ12=] sewer base, but doesn't remember to do anything with it until much later, where he gives it to JC just before the latter goes on the mission to the Shipyard.
* MoreDakka: The alt-fire functions of all weapons (both standard and unique) now allows the player to do things like spam-throw Combat Knives at enemies or fire off seven bolts of energy from the Plasma Rifle (which bounce and ricochet off walls, causing even more damage).

* ShoutOut: The new unique variant of the Sawed-Off Shotgun is called the [[Film/ArmyOfDarkness Boomstick]].

The mod was originally intended to fix lingering bugs and issues in the game, but grew to encompass a wide assortment of material, including the restoration of several DummiedOut items, textures and conversations (like Ford Schick's intended appearances after he's rescued from the [=MJ12=] sewer base in Hell's Kitchen), as well as new unique weapons to try out.

''Shifter'' can be downloaded at the [[http://www.moddb.com/mods/shifter1 ModDB]].

* BrickJoke: The "skull gun" augmentation canister in the soda machine during the "UNATCO Escape" mission.

** Toxin Blade (a knife that can cause paralysis and/or death, owned by Smuggler)
** Lo Bruto (Jojo Fine's modified stealth pistol)
** Jackhammer (a modified assault shotgun that can empty a full clip in under a second)

* ChekhovsGunman: After completing the Hell's Kitchen mission and returning to UNATCO, you can find an email from the base's janitor informing you that he'll watch over your